The Age of Extinction (A New Battleground Part 2)
by AlphaGuardian
Summary: The Collectors have been defeated, but now the galaxy faces extinction from the Reapers. Their last hope lies in the brave men and women of the SSV Normandy and their Spartan ally. But even they will not be able to save everyone, and everyone has their breaking point. But the fate of the galaxy rests on their shoulders, and failure means extinction.
1. Prologue: Earth

Prologue: Earth

**AN's: Well, here we go. Part Two of A New Battleground. I have nothing more to say, so right into it!**

_Earth. Vancouver, Canada. Systems Alliance Headquarters. March 27, 2186._

The former Commander John Shepard stood at the window of his small 'apartment' overlooking the city. A small child was playing with a model of an Alliance fighter craft below, and that made Shepard smile a bit. The door opened behind him, and his 'guard', Lieutenant James Vega, stepped in, saluting.

"Commander."

"You're not supposed to call me that anymore, James."

"Not supposed to salute you, either. Come on. The Defense Committee wants to see you."

"Sounds important." Shepard said as he tossed the datapad he was reading onto the bunk.

"Did they say what they wanted?" He asked James.

"No. Just that they wanted to see you. Now."

Shepard noticed a friendly face heading towards him in the sea of Alliance officers: Admiral Anderson. The former Councilor had stepped down amidst a Cerberus plot to kidnap one of his close friends, and his advisor, Donnell Udina, had taken over.

"Anderson." Shepard said.

"Admiral." James said.

"You look good, Shepard. Maybe a little soft around the edges. How are you holding up since being relieved from duty?" Anderson commented.

"It's not so bad once you get used to the hot food and soft beds."

"We'll get that sorted out."

"Why's everyone in such a hurry?"

"Something big is coming, Shepard. Whole systems have gone dark."

"The Reapers?"

"We don't know. Not for certain."

"What else could it be?"

"If I knew that…"

"You know, we're not prepared for them if it is."

"Try telling that to the Committee."

"Unless we're planning to _talk_ the Reapers to death, the Committee is a waste of time."

"They're just scared. They haven't seen what you've seen. You faced down a Reaper. Hell, you talked to one, and then you blew the damn thing up. You've see how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us. Hell, you know this enemy better than anyone."

Shepard stopped dead in his tracks. "That why they grounded me? Took away my ship?"

Anderson rounded on him. "You know that's not true. The shit you've done, any other soldier would've been tried, court-martialed and discharged. It's your knowledge of the Reapers that kept that from happening."

"That, your good word, and my bringing them the best damn soldier this side of the Orion Arm?"

"I trust you, Shepard, and so does the Committee. But leave Andrea out of this. She had nothing to do with the decision."

"What would've happened to her if she hadn't enlisted?"

"It wasn't my call, Shepard, so I don't know."

By now, the trio had reached the waiting room for the Defense Committee. They were immediately directed in, and as they walked through, two very familiar women were walking back.

"Lieutenant-Commander. Staff-Commander. How'd it go?" Anderson asked.

"Hell if I know, sir. I still think they hold a grudge because I helped defeat the Collectors with Cerberus, but that's just me. I'm just waiting for orders now." Alliance Marine Corps Staff Commander Andrea Bartus responded.

"Me too." Lieutenant-Commander Ashley Williams added.

Andrea looked over and noticed Shepard.

"Shepard!"

She walked over and shook his hand. She still looked exactly the same as the last time he had seen her, which had been ten months before.

"Good to see you again, Andrea."

"You too. Feels like a god's-age since our escapades on the _Normandy_, huh?"

"It does. How's the Alliance treating you?"

"Pretty well. I got a transfer back to the _Normandy_, so at least I'm back on familiar turf, and the marines hold a lot of respect for me, even if I helped you with the Collectors."

"Heard anything from Jacob?" Shepard asked.

Andrea and Jacob Taylor had grown very close on the _Normandy_ while it was a Cerberus ship, but after the crew's assault on the Collector base, the two had gone separate ways.

"Nothing. He's silent."

"Shepard. The Committee is ready. Come on. Staff-Commander, report back to the _Normandy_, make sure everything is ready for a quick takeoff. We may need it." Anderson called.

"Yes, sir. We'll catch up more later, Shepard. Good luck in there. I hope they don't tear you a new ass."

"Thanks."

Anderson and Shepard entered the Committee chambers, which was bustling with activity.

"What's the situation?" Shepard asked.

"We were hoping you would tell us." One answered.

An attendant handed Shepard a datapad.

"Whole systems have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol Relay."

"You've brought me here to confirm what you already know:" Shepard began.

"The Reapers are here."

The room went silent as everyone there took in what he said.

"Then how do we stop them?"

"Stop them? This isn't about strategy or tactics, this is about survival. The Reapers are more advanced than we are, more powerful. More intelligent. They don't fear us. And they'll never take pity on us." Shepard told them.

"But… there must be some way."

"If we're going to have any chance at surviving this, we have to stand together."

"That's it? That's our plan?"

"Admiral, we've lost contact with Luna Base." An attendant told Anderson.

"The moon? They couldn't be that close already."

"How'd they get past our defenses?"

"Sir, UK headquarters has a visual."

The vid screen nearby came to life, showing the assembled people images of the monsters as they landed and started destroying everything in their path.

"Why haven't we heard from Admiral Hackett?" Anderson asked.

"What do we do?" One of the Committee asked.

Shepard turned and stepped forward a few steps.

"The only thing we can." He began.

"We fight…"

He pointed at the screens.

"Or we die."

"We should get to the _Normandy_." Anderson told Shepard.

Then they all heard a terrifying droning noise. The clouds overhead sparked with red lightning, and a giant claw came through, followed by the rest of the gigantic Reaper. It shot a red beam out, and Shepard knew what came next.

"Move!" He shouted as he took off.

The windows behind them shattered from the force, and the room was thrown into chaos as the gigantic desk where the Committee sat was flung towards the other side of the room. Shepard took a running slide away, and was thrown back as the Reaper fired again. He hit the wall and rolled to the ground, nearly out cold.

When he came to, everything was muted.

"Shepard!"

He began to get his hearing back, and sat up.

"Shepard!"

Then he noticed Anderson running over.

"Shepard! Come on, get up." He said as he helped the former Commander up.

"Here, take this."

Anderson handed him an M-3 Predator heavy pistol.

"We've got to get moving."

The pair took off for the hole where the giant window had been.

"This is Admiral Anderson. Report in. Anyone?"

There was a slight pause as Anderson searched for frequencies.

"Staff Commander, is that you? What's your status?"

Andrea was alive. That made Shepard feel better. They would need the Spartan at a time like this.

"I can't raise the Normandy, you'll have to contact them. We'll meet you at the landing zone. Anderson out."

"Let's move." He told Shepard as they ran for the spaceport where the Normandy was docked.

As they ran, Anderson established another link to Andrea.

"Staff Commander, you read me? I'm patching in Shepard."

"_We're almost to the Normandy. I've got Lieutenant Vega and Lieutenant-Commander Williams with me. We're taking heavy fire. Lieutenant, concentrate on those Husks!_"

"We're about five minutes out." Anderson reported.

The link went bad as they kept moving.

"Husks!"

The soldiers shot the walking corpses as they climbed the building next to them.

"I'm out of ammo!" Anderson reported.

They went down a ladder, and three more Husks ran to the building, oblivious to the two humans. Shepard killed one before he too ran out of ammo.

"Looks like we're gonna have to take these things out the old-fashioned way." Anderson said.

Shepard vaulted the low wall he was behind and smacked each of the Husks with the butt of his pistol, killing each with a single blow. A final Husk climbed the wall nearby, and Shepard beat it down as well.

The Reaper nearby made that distinct droning sound and launched a beam straight at the building. Shepard took a few steps back, and then ran and slid to evade the shattering glass.

In the next room, there was a sealed door, but when Shepard opened it, a Husk appeared on the other side. A blade materialized on Shepard's left wrist, and he drove it into the Husk, killing it. He then opened the door the rest of the way and kept it open for Anderson.

"This way."

Anderson ducked through, and Shepard heard the vent duct nearby rattle, as if someone was in there. Upon investigation, he found a small boy in the duct, the same one he had seen playing with the model Alliance fighter before.

"It's okay…" He began.

"Everyone's dying."

"Come here. I need to get you somewhere safe. Take my hand."

"You can't help me." The boy said.

"Shepard." Anderson said from the door.

"In here."

When Shepard turned back to the kid, he was gone. He followed Anderson through the door, and into a mess of supports and flames.

"This is a goddamned mess." Anderson said as he lifted up a fallen beam.

"Every minute these machines are here, thousands of innocent people die. I won't be responsible."

"It's hard enough fighting a war. It's even harder knowing no matter how hard you try, you can't save them all." Shepard told him.

"Exactly."

Shepard followed the Admiral through the wreckage.

"They hit so fast. I thought we'd have more time."

"We knew they were coming."

"And they still just cut through our defenses. We need to go to the Citadel. Talk to the Council."

"The Citadel? The fight's here." Shepard retorted.

"It'll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself: The Reapers will destroy everything if we don't stop them. The Council has to help us." Anderson explained as they navigated the rubble and found a small ledge to navigate the building from.

"You sure about that?"

"No. But you're a Council Spectre. That has to count for something."

The room shook, and Shepard nearly lost his balance, until Anderson caught him.

"Gotcha!"

Thanks. I owe you one." Shepard said as they kept inching their way across.

"More than one."

Shepard grabbed a few thermal clips and loaded one into his pistol.

"Staff-Commander, we're in sight of the spaceport. ETA: three minutes."

"_We've made it to the Normandy. Taking heavy fire- Oh, shit! They're gonna take down the dreadnought! Evasive maneuvers!_"

Then, said dreadnought was shot by a Reaper and blew up, the shockwaves taking Shepard and Anderson off their feet, and tipping the platform they were on, sending both hurtling down onto a small landing.

"_Normandy_, we're going to reroute, do you copy?"

Garbled.

"_Normandy_, come in." Anderson hailed.

Down below was a pair of marines, with one trapped under a piece of metal. Shepard and Anderson dropped down and walked over.

"You two all right?" Shepard asked.

"Get down! They'll see you!" One said.

Too late. The Reaper creations known as Cannibals roared and opened fire, but Shepard killed all three with lethal precision.

"What happened here?" Anderson asked as Shepard walked over.

"Our gunship was shot down… we barely made it." One said.

"You have a radio? We're trying to contact our ship." Anderson said.

"No. There's one in the gunship, but it's gonna be crawling with those things."

"Stay here, son. We'll get you out of here." Anderson said as he and Shepard lifted the piece of metal, allowing the trapped soldier to move, and then dropped it, forming a bridge.

"Come on, let's get to that gunship."

They crossed the makeshift bridge and found more Cannibals around the gunship wreck. Shepard cloaked and went around behind them, opening fire when he got to position. He found a fallen M8 Avenger on the ground, and as he picked it up, Anderson found the radio.

"Normandy, this is Anderson… do you read?"

"_Admiral. What's your location?_" Andrea asked.

"By a downed gunship in the harbor, I'm activating its distress beacon. Send support. We've got wounded down here."

The next transmission broke up.

"Staff-Commander?"

No response.

"Damnit! I lost the signal."

"Let's hope that beacon does its job." Shepard said.

"And fast, we've got company!" Anderson said as more Cannibals swarmed their position.

"Hope they get here soon." Anderson said as Shepard slapped in his last thermal clip.

"You and me both!"

As Shepard used up the last of his clip, a familiar ship swooped in.

"_Cavalry's here, gentlemen!_"

The ship fired a pair of missiles, which eliminated the rest of the Cannibals.

"About time!" Anderson said as the ship turned and hovered near a large piece of metal.

The Normandy SR-2 had gotten a repaint since Shepard had last been on it. Instead of the white and orange Cerberus colors, it now had a silver and blue paintjob, and now sported the Alliance insignia where the Cerberus logo had once been.

"Let's go!" Shepard shouted as he slid over the cover he was behind.

As they ran up the piece of metal, the ship turned and opened up the shuttle bay, with Andrea and Ashley leading a pair of Alliance Marines to cover Shepard and Anderson. Shepard took a running jump in, and Ashley stabilized him as he landed.

"Welcome home, Shep." Andrea said.

"Thanks."

Anderson didn't jump.

"Shepard, Andrea!"

"Come on!" Shepard shouted back.

A shuttle flew in and landed.

"I'm not going."

Shepard gave him a confused look.

"You saw those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader."

"Anderson, I swear to God, if you stay, I'm-" Andrea began.

"No. You need to help Shepard. He'll need you more than we will."

"Admiral-"

"Don't make me make that an order."

"Okay. Stay alive, Admiral." Andrea said as she shook her head and walked back inside the ship.

"We need every species, and all their ships, to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us." Anderson told Shepard.

"What if they won't listen?"

"Then make them listen! Now, go! And that _is_ an order."

"I don't take orders from you anymore, remember?"

Anderson pulled out a pair of dog tags and threw them to Shepard.

"Consider yourself reinstated."

"Commander."

Shepard looked at the tags, and then back at Anderson.

"You know what you have to do."

"I'll be back for you, and I'll bring every fleet I can."

"Good luck." Shepard finished.

"You too, Shepard. Take care of Andrea for me."

"I will." He said.

The bay closed as the Normandy took off, heading for orbit and the Charon Relay, which could take them to the Citadel.

Shepard and Ashley, along with James, followed Andrea into the bay, with James practically interrogating the Commander as they went.

"What the hell's going on? Where's Anderson? Where are we going?"

Shepard ignored his questions.

"Hey!" The Lieutenant shouted.

"We're leaving." Shepard answered.

"Leaving?"

"What's going on?" Andrea asked.

"Anderson's ordered us to the Citadel, to get help for the fight." The Commander explained.

"Bullshit! He wouldn't order us to leave." James argued.

"We don't have a choice. Without help, this war's already over."

"Forget it, drop me off someplace-" James started.

"Cut the shit, Lieutenant! Don't you think I'd rather stay and fight?" Andrea cut in.

"We're going to the Citadel, you want out, you can catch a ride back from there." Shepard added.

"_Commander!"_

"Joker, that you?"

"_Alive and kicking. Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett for you."_ The helmsman responded.

"Patch it through."

The terminal in front of Shepard showed the Admiral, but the video was breaking up, and the audio was cracked in places.

"_Shepard… sustained heavy losses… force was overwhelming…no way we can defeat them conventionally…_"

"Anderson's already ordered us to the Citadel, to talk to the Council."

"_First, I need you to…iance outpost on Mars…ore we lose control of the system_."

"Yes, sir." Shepard said, saluting.

"…_been researching the Prothean Archives with Dr. T'Soni… found a way to stop the Reapers… only way to stop them… in contact soon. Hackett out_."

"Joker, set a course for the Mars Archives."

"_Mars? Roger that._" The helmsman replied.

"This is loco!" James said to Andrea and Ashley.

"Why Mars? What does he think we'll find there?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know, but if it helps us win this war…" Shepard said as he grabbed his pistol and his N7 armor.

"Grab your gear." He said.


	2. Chapter 1: Mars

Chapter 1: Illusive

_Mars Prothean Archives. Two hours later._

The Normandy came out of FTL near the planet, and the shuttle launched to the surface.

"_I've been trying to reach Mars on secure channels. No one's answering._" Joker told them.

"Perfect." Andrea said, loading her signature M392 Designated Marksman's Rifle.

"Any sign of Reaper activity?" Shepard asked.

"_Negative._"

"EDI?"

"_The base appears to be online. It's possible the inhabitants were evacuated._" The Normandy's AI told them.

"We'll know soon enough. Be ready, Joker, just in case."

"_Roger that. Normandy out."_

"We're almost there." James reported as he flew the shuttle.

When the shuttle touched down, James left the cockpit and joined the team.

"Still no contact from the base, but we've got a massive storm heading our way."

"How long we got?" Andrea asked.

"Half-hour, tops. After that, we're gonna have difficulty keeping up comms with the Normandy."

They got out and took a look at the storm.

"That's a big storm." James said.

"That's nothing." Andrea said.

"Glad you're so optimistic."

"When you've been through what I've been through, on top of the Collector shit, a little dust storm ain't so bad."

"Fair enough."

They jumped off a small ledge and found a pair of dead soldiers nearby.

"What's that?" James asked.

"Alliance. Sergeant Reeves. Good guy. Talked too much. Hate to see him dead." Andrea told them.

"_He was shot in the back of the head. Inside job. Quick and simple._" Andrea's own AI, Cortana, told them.

"Something's not right, here." James said.

"Let's keep a low profile until we know what's going on." Shepard said as they left the scene.

They four made their way to a small depression, where they heard gunshots.

"Down!" Andrea said as they hid behind crates.

The team moved up, seeing unknown troops executing people.

"Holy shit! They're executing them!" James whispered as Shepard and Andrea grabbed their sniper rifles and took up positions.

Andrea had been forced to give up her prized M-98 Widow, and now used an M-92 Mantis, as did Shepard. They both shot at the same time, killing two troopers with clean headshots. Andrea pulled out her MA37, charged the troopers and, gathering her biotic energy around her, slammed her fist into the ground, generating a shockwave which killed most of the troops. Ashley killed the last one with a great shot to the head.

"Those guys were Cerberus, weren't they?" James asked.

"Sure looked like it." Andrea replied.

"What's Cerberus doing here on Mars?" Ashley asked.

"That's the million dollar question."

"You don't know?"

"I told the Illusive Man to basically go fuck himself ten months ago. I think that's a pretty good indication that I never want to see them again, except on the other end of my scope."

"And we're not with them anymore, Ash, if that's what you're asking." Shepard added.

"It wasn't. But you have to admit, it's a little convenient."

A few more troops guarded the entryway, and were dealt with swiftly as Andrea used her biotics to kill them all in one fell swoop.

"Doesn't look like they came here in force." James commented.

"Yeah. Just a few vehicles." Shepard said.

"Kind of suggests they had help… from the inside." Ashley added.

"Good guess." Andrea said.

"You'd need a lot more men and firepower to take this place, otherwise."

They went in and activated the elevator, and the room began to pressurize.

"I need a straight answer, you two."

"About what?" Shepard asked.

"Do you know anything about this? What is Cerberus doing here?"

"What makes you think we know what they're up to?" Andrea asked.

"You worked for them. How am I supposed to believe you two have cut all ties?"

"Oh, hell no. _I_ never worked for Cerberus, or there would be a lot more advanced tech there now. Trust me on that. And if we still worked for Cerberus, why would we go through all this trouble? I've been out of contact with everyone I know for ten months to be in the Alliance. For God's sake, I'm a ranking officer in the Marines. Why jeopardize that to work with Cerberus? Did Shepard ever tell you what happened on that ship when we fought the Collectors? Go to the old briefing room. There's a nice bloodstain there from when I decked a Cerberus operative full-force after the Normandy was attacked by the Collectors." Andrea told the Lieutenant-Commander.

"_And besides, if she was working with Cerberus, I wouldn't be here. I would be in a Cerberus lab._" Cortana added.

"We joined forces to take down the Collectors. That's it." Shepard concluded.

"And it was almost not worth it." Andrea added.

"They rebuilt you two from scratch. They gave you a ship, resources…" Ashley argued.

"Let me be clear: We've had no contact with Cerberus since we destroyed the Collector base." Shepard said.

"Except for the debrief, where we told the Illusive Man to shove it where the sun don't shine. And I don't think he would like me very much, because he saw the sword, and was told that it would be in his gut the next time I saw him." Andrea added.

"And I have no idea why they're here now, or what they want." Shepard said.

"Me either." Andrea added.

"_Not a clue._" Cortana said.

"Commander Shepard and Staff Commander Bartus have been under constant surveillance since they came to Earth. No way they've communicated with Cerberus since." James added.

"Sorry, you two. It's just-" Ashley began.

She was cut off as the room finished pressurizing and the elevator started up. Shepard, Ashley and James took off their helmets, but Andrea, as always, kept hers on.

"We shouldn't have to explain ourselves to you, Ash." Shepard told her.

The room above them was big, and open. Perfect for an ambush, as there was lots of cover around.

"Please… trust us."

"I do it's just that-"

Then they all heard gunshots and clanging from the vents. They hid behind a Mako IFV as the clanging continued. A minute later, the grate was kicked out, and an Asari jumped out, followed by two Cerberus assault troopers. She turned and caught the pair in a biotic Singularity field, and then shot each with a pistol. One was still alive, so she went over and shot the trooper twice, killing him.

Shepard was out first, followed by Andrea, Ashley, and James. Andrea had her M6G pistol out, but it was at her side, and James raised his rifle, but Shepard knew better.

"Easy, Lieutenant, she's with us." He said as they went over.

"Shepard! Thank the goddess you're alive." The Asari said as they approached.

"Liara."

"I was worried when the reports came in. They hit Earth hard?"

"Extremely." Andrea answered.

"You're Staff Commander Andrea Bartus."

"I should have figured you'd know me. Yes."

"Why-?"

Andrea tapped the back of her head, indicating to Cortana.

"Oh."

"It was… difficult to leave Earth." Ashley added.

"Ashley, I'm sorry. But, why'd you come here?" She asked the group.

"Hackett ordered us to come. Said you'd know what was going on." Shepard answered.

"I do." She said as she led them to the window.

"Hallelujah. Some answers. Finally." James said.

"Maybe. I've discovered plans for a Prothean Device, one that could wipe out the Reapers."

"Here on Mars?" Andrea asked.

"In the Prothean Archives, yes."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Where do we find this weapon?" Shepard asked.

"It's not a weapon, not yet. It's plans for a device. A blueprint."

"More than we had a minute ago." Shepard said.

"And more hope than Reach ever had." Andrea added.

"How do we get it?" Shepard asked.

"The Archives are just across that tramway. Assuming Cerberus hasn't locked it down." Liara answered.

"What are they after?"

"Yeah, they seemed hell-bent on catching you." James told Liara.

"They want what I'm here for. What we're all here for."

"But why?" Andrea asked.

"The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans to destroy them, but ran out of time."

"And anything powerful enough to destroy the Reapers…" Ashley began.

"Would be just the thing Cerberus would want to get their grubby little power-hungry mitts on." Andrea finished.

"So it's a race to the Archives." James said.

The room shook as the doors above them were being cut open.

"We've got company." Shepard said.

"Bring it on." James responded.

"Not this time, James."

"What?"

"Get back to the shuttle. If Cerberus beats us to the Archives, I need you covering the exits."

"But-"

"That's an order, Lieutenant." Andrea added.

"Yes, ma'am." James sighed.

James got on the elevator back down as Shepard hit the button, and it descended.

The doors opened, and Cerberus troops came through.

"There she is! There's the Asari bitch!" One said.

"Not a problem for those with biotics. Liara?" Andrea said.

"Got it."

She projected a Singularity field, and the Cerberus troops floated in the air. Andrea detonated the field with a Warp attack, killing them all.

"Nice work." Shepard told them.

They tried the elevator, but it was sabotaged, so the team decided to use the vehicle lift to get to the doors.

"This is a secure station. How did Cerberus get in?" Ashley asked Liara.

"Not sure. One minute we were getting reports of the Reaper invasion, the next it was chaos. Didn't even realize it was Cerberus at first."

"Could they be working with the Reapers?"

"Doubtful. But I suppose anything's possible." Shepard answered.

In the next room a civilian was shot dead as he tried to run.

"Cover. Now." Andrea told them.

They all took cover behind a small glass rail and listened to the Cerberus team on the other side.

"Sweep the area. Able's not reporting in. Find-"

The trooper was cut off as Shepard and Andrea grabbed two troopers that were on the other side of their cover and killed them seamlessly.

"SHIT!"

"This is Bravo Team! We've found the-"

He was cut off by Andrea's knife.

"Found what? There's nothing here."

In the next room, there was a small office-like area.

"We'll need access to the pedway. Controls should be nearby." Liara told them.

"Andrea, see if you can gain access to the pedway." She told the Spartan as they walked in.

Liara sat down and tried to access the camera systems.

"I can't seem to access the live feeds, but-"

"Did you see that? Who's that woman in the vid?" Ashley asked as the screen in the corner showed security footage.

"That's Dr. Eva Core. She got here about a week ago. Any luck?"

"Pedway's been locked out." Andrea responded.

"Alright. Looks like there's construction nearby, we can get out on the roof. We can find a way around from there."

"Great. Let's move." Shepard said.

They went through the airlock and left the station, going through a construction area.

"Storm's getting closer!" Ashley reported.

"No shit." Andrea said.

She slid down the nearby ladder right behind the Commander and then saw a pair of trams going across the tramway with bullets flying across.

"What the hell?" Ashley asked.

"Alliance must still be putting up a fight." Andrea commented.

"_Commander, you read me_?" James asked.

"Cortana, can you boost the signal?" Andrea asked her AI.

"_Let… __**me**__… got it._" Cortana said.

Andrea cut the helmet's external mic.

"What's wrong?"

"_It's… nothing. I'm fine, really._"

"Cortana?"

"_I know it doesn't seem right, but…_"

"It's been that long, huh?"

"_Yes. I think you remember what Shaun said?_" The AI asked, referring to one of Andrea's old friends, Captain Shaun Alexander.

He and a team of ODST's and a pair of Spartans had crashed on Horizon just before the colony was attacked by the Collectors. While Shaun, Sergeant Hal Mendez, and Staff-Sergeant SPARTAN-195, Scott, had made it out okay, Major Donnell Benning, SPARTAN B-015, and Lieutenant Augustus Miller had been taken. When Andrea had found Shaun, he told her that she had been gone for four years, indicating that time was measured twice as fast in her galaxy.

Now, Cortana was falling into rampancy, a condition where after a lifespan of seven years, Smart AI's, like Cortana, would begin to deteriorate. She wouldn't last long.

"Can you hold out? We can get you back to the UNSC, and Halsey can fix this. She made you, after all." Andrea said.

"_I won't recover from rampancy, Andrea._"

"Maybe not, but it's worth a shot, at least."

"_Maybe…"_

They had made their way to the other airlock by now, and found it open.

"It wasn't forced." Andrea commented.

"You'd have to override security protocols." Liara told her.

When they made their way downstairs, the blinds in front of them retracted.

"Flashlights." Shepard said, as the room was dark.

"Roger that, Delta Team out." A Cerberus trooper said.

"What's our orders?"

"There's an Alliance team in here somewhere. We need to keep them from getting to the core."

Andrea pulled out her MA37 and blazed the Cerberus troops. The team handled them easily, and then moved in and found the environmental controls.

"We need to pressurize the room first." Liara told them as she put in the command to do so.

"There we go. We have access to the labs, they'll take us right to the tram station."

"There's a recording of what happened here." Andrea pointed out.

Shepard activated it and saw an Alliance security guard at the terminal.

"_Security station… Come in? We're seeing some odd activity down here. Our security protocols just kicked in. Everything's locked down._"

Dr. Eva walked into view of the camera.

"_Doctor, I'll get you a report as soon as-"_

He was cut off as the Doctor pulled out a pistol and killed both guards in the room, and then ran over to the terminal and overrode the airlocks, venting them, with everyone still inside.

"That… bitch." Andrea growled.

"I guess we know how Cerberus got in." Shepard said.

"I should have realized it when I met her. I was just so focused on finding a way to stop the Reapers." Liara said.

"Stopping the Reapers is the only thing we should be worried about." Shepard said.

"It's not your fault, Liara." Andrea added.

"But what if we're wrong? What if there's no way to stop them? What of these are our final days and we spend them scurrying around trying to solve a problem we can't fix?"

"Come on, Liara." Shepard said.

"I know. I shouldn't think that way. I don't know how you do it. You've always stayed focused even in the worst situations."

"When there's so much at stake, I think about what I'd lose if I failed."

"I get to think about that, and then see the consequences." Andrea commented.

"Reach-" Shepard began.

"Is gone. I know. I gave up on the UNSC three years ago. Let's just move."

"Okay, door's open. We can get to the labs and tram station through there."

They went through and found a few more dead bodies, including a Cerberus trooper. They went up the stairs, and found themselves in a series of rooms separated by glass walls, and filled with Cerberus troops. Andrea and Shepard had their rifles propped on a piece of cover, and were taking pot shots before anyone could stop them. They then found a small room, which was covered in gray… stuff.

"What's that smell?" Ashley asked.

"They just activated the decontamination protocols." Liara told them.

"With the staff still inside." Andrea commented, seeing the bodies.

"This is where they studied the various relics unearthed here."

"What did they find?" Shepard asked.

"More than I could describe in a short conversation. And they'd only scratched the surface. There are vaults filled with Prothean data troves that have never been studied."

They left the room, and found themselves looking out a window at the tram line.

"That'll take us to the Archives?" Andrea asked.

"Yes. No doubt Cerberus has it locked down. Hopefully we can override it at the security station." Liara responded.

They walked to another door, and when it opened, they were greeted by a large turret hanging off the ceiling.

"Look out!" Ashley shouted as it started firing and the team took cover behind the glass panels in the hallway.

"No shit, Sherlock." Andrea shot back.

"Is that the only way in?"

"It's the only way I know of." Liara answered.

"We'll skirt around it. Stay out of its sights." Shepard said.

"I'll head up first." Andrea said, dashing out and to the next panel. She kept moving, practically dodging the bullets, until she and the team got out of its firing line and saw Cerberus troops on the other side of a window in the next room.

"Shit." Andrea said.

While Shepard, Ashley, and Liara went into the door, Andrea, impatient as always, simply shattered the glass with her biotics and charged in, guns blazing. She took out one trooper as adrenaline poured through her system.

(Spartan Time)

As time slowed around her, Andrea kicked another assault trooper in the face, knocking him down, as she cut the leg off of a Centurion behind her with her knife. His scream sounded weird in slow-motion, but Andrea didn't care, she just shot him with her pistol, and stabbed the last assault trooper in the neck with her knife, ramming him into the wall as she did.

Shepard deactivated the turret as time began to return to normal for the Spartan. Then the camera feeds came online. They showed Dr. Eva leading a team of Cerberus troops in the Archives.

"_Set up a perimeter, no one else comes across._"

"_We still have teams on the other side." _A Centurion argued.

"_No one. And shut down those cameras."_ She said as she shot out the camera.

"Looks like they made it to the Archives." Liara said.

"And like usual, we're cut off." Andrea added.

"Can you override it?" Shepard asked Liara.

She tried, and failed.

"Cortana?" Andrea asked.

"_Hm… Nope. Separate network. I'd need access to the mainframe to override it. We're cut off_." The AI responded.

"Maybe not. What if we could find a short-range transmitter? Helmet-to-helmet." Ashley suggested.

"And?" Shepard asked.

"And then, we convince them that we're with them, and that the Alliance forces have been taken care of."

"Good idea. Let's see what we can find." Andrea told her.

Andrea led Ashley into the next room, where they found a dead Centurion.

"Shepard! We've got something!" Andrea called back.

When he joined them, they indicated to the Centurion.

"He's got a transmitter in his helmet, if I can…" Ashley began as she peeled back the helmet.

"What the fuck?" Andrea gasped.

The Centurion's face looked… weird. His eyes were just white circles, and his face had blue-ish white lines running down it.

"Oh, God. He looks like a Husk." Ashley said, disgusted.

"Yeah. Not quite. But they've definitely done something to him." Shepard said as he knelt down and tried to find the transmitter.

"Engineered? By Cerberus? They claim to stand for humanity, and they do this to their own people?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, real bunch of characters. We found that out when we blew up the Collector base." Andrea added.

"That could have been you, Shepard. Or you, Commander. For all I knew, that's what Cerberus had done to you two."

"How can you compare us to that thing?" Shepard demanded.

"I don't know what you are, not since Cerberus got their hands on you. Is it really you? Would you even know if they were controlling you somehow?"

"That's not fair, Ash." Shepard said.

"Sure as hell is, especially now." Andrea said.

"I'm just talking out loud. I don't need you to answer. I doubt there's anything you could say to convince me. I guess I just need some time to get to know you again." She told Shepard.

"I'm the same person I always was. Time won't change that. But if that's what you need, I understand."

"Thanks… for understanding."

"You bet."

"Now, how about that tram?" Andrea said as she grabbed the transmitter.

"All units, this is Delta Team. Anybody there?"

"_Where the hell have you been? Never mind, what's your status?_" A Cerberus trooper on the other end asked.

"We're at the tram station, awaiting extraction. All hostiles terminated."

"_Roger that. Echo Team will ride over and secure the station._"

"Think they bought it?" Ashley asked as Andrea threw the transmitter away.

"I have ammo, and my armor has power. Think I give a shit?" She shot back.

"We should get in position. Flank them when they get off the tram." Ashley said, pointing to a pair of crates that were in a perfect position to flank the tram.

"Good thinking, LC."

The team moved to position, and Andrea steadied her DMR on the crate as the tram arrived. The first Cerberus assault trooper out was dead before his boots hit the ground, with a hole in his head.

"It's a trap!" Another shouted.

"No shit!" A Guardian yelled.

They were all taken care of before another word was said. The team got in the cablecar and Shepard started it up. They put on their helmets as the car started moving.

"Storm's getting bad. We need to make this quick." Shepard said.

"The Archives are right on the other side." Liara said.

"That and a squad of pissed off Cerberus troops." Ashley added.

"Wait…" Andrea said.

Then they heard it, a bomb, ticking away nearby.

"BOMB!" Ashley shouted.

It blew up, stopping the cablecar dead in its tracks. The team was thrown to the ground, and Andrea was the first up, with her DMR at the ready.

"Man, I wish I had my Widow right now." She said as another cablecar came to greet them.

When it stopped next to them, Andrea was instantly across, massacring the Cerberus troops with her knife and shortsword. She ran her sword through the gut of one trooper while she stabbed her knife into the throat of another. She then took her sword out of the trooper's gut and cut the head off of the next trooper, as two more charged her. She biotically slammed one into the other, and then threw both out of the car.

Shepard started up the tramcar and it moved into the Archives accessway. They found more Cerberus troops waiting for them, guns at the ready. When Andrea and Shepard ran out, the former was already tearing into the troops.

"Holy shit, that's Andrea! Concentrate fire on Andrea!" A Centurion yelled.

"Shepard's with her! Take 'em down!" An assault trooper added.

"Keep the helmet intact! The Illusive Man wants the AI!"

"Fuck you." She whispered as she flared her biotics and charged at the Centurion who had identified her.

She rammed into him with enough force to kill him with just the blunt trauma, and then she turned and snapped off a pair of shots with her DMR, killing two more troopers. Shepard and Liara took down the Guardians together, and Ashley shot the last trooper through the head with her sniper rifle.

"Now, let's find this weapon." Andrea said as she jogged towards the locked door at the end of the room.

Cortana unlocked the door, and the team went in, weapons up in case someone was here. Finding no one, they relaxed a bit and went to the terminal that housed the Archive's data.

"Ash." Shepard said, telling her to sweep the room.

As Ashley walked away, and Liara accessed the archives, they all heard a very familiar voice. A voice that made Andrea instantly take out her long-unused energy sword.

"_Shepard. Andrea._"

They turned around and saw the leader of Cerberus, the Illusive Man, on the comm pad in front of them.

"_Or should I call you 'Staff Commander Bartus'?_"

Liara whipped around, brandishing her M-3 Predator pistol.

"Illusive Man?"

"Or should we call you 'egomaniacal asshole'?" Andrea said as her biotics flared and took on a slight red tinge.

"_You don't scare me, Andrea. I know a great deal about you, and I know how to use it._"

"I don't need to scare you. I just need to run this sword through your gut." She said, her plasma sword blazing to life.

"_Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, and we've squandered it._" He began, ignoring Andrea.

"_The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years, and what have they done with it?_"

"What do you want?" Shepard asked.

"_What I've always wanted._" The Illusive Man responded, looking at the superstructure of the Archives.

"_The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat._"

"We've seen your 'solution'. Your people are turned into monsters." Andrea rebuked.

"_Hardly, they're being improved._"

"Are you serious? 'Improved'?"

"_That's what separates us. Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control. To dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them._"

"Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"_You've always been short-sighted. Hasty. Your destruction of the Collector base proved that._"

"That base was an abomination. Hundreds of thousands of people died there! If we had kept it intact, we would have been pissing on their graves." Andrea said.

"_This isn't your fight any longer, you two. You can't defeat the Reapers, even with the Prothean data."_

"Work with me. Give me control of your resources, and I'll stop them." Shepard said.

"You did not just say what I think you just said." Andrea told him.

"_You'd do better than most, but the odds aren't in your favor._"

"And I guess they were when we went through the Omega-4 Relay?" Shepard rebuked.

"_They weren't. But now the odds are even longer._"

"_More importantly, I don't want the Reapers destroyed._"

"Of course not, you want to use them to make _Cerberus_ the dominant power in the galaxy." Andrea said.

"_We can dominate them, use their power, harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution._"

"You've gone too far. The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other." Shepard told him.

"_I don't expect you to understand, Shepard. And I'm certainly not looking for your approval. You two were tools. Agents with a singular purpose. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful._"

"I'm sensing a big 'but' here." Andrea commented.

"_But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over._"

"Enough talk. Liara." Shepard said.

Liara went back to the terminal and tried to find the data.

"_Don't interfere with my plans, you two. I won't warn you again._"

"And stay the fuck out of ours. There won't be a first warning, just a pair of plasma blades sticking out of your chest." Andrea said as she raised her sword, just as she did on the Normandy when she and Shepard broke off from Cerberus.

"And that's a promise." She said as they walked away.

"Shepard!" Liara called.

"What?"

"The data, it's not here. It's being erased."

"Damnit. How's he doing it?"

"It's local, someone's uploading the information."

"And I bet that someone's name starts with Doctor." Andrea said as Cortana put a marker on her HUD of the upload location.

Ashley got there first.

"Hey! Step away from the console!"

Dr. Eva Core did not.

"Now!" Ashley demanded.

Ashley took a few steps forward, and Eva slammed her elbow into the Lieutenant-Commander and then kicked her to the ground. Andrea ran into her and tackled her as she tried to run, but Core's omni-tool flared and sent an electrical pulse into the Spartan's armor that froze up the armor for a few seconds and allowed the Doctor to throw her off and keep running.

"Go! I'll catch up!" Andrea shouted to Shepard as he ran over to her.

"She's got the data!" Ashley shouted as she got up.

Andrea shot to her feet the second her armor unlocked and ran full-tilt after the team, straining her armor to the limit to catch up. When she did, they were already outside the facility and climbing a ladder up to the Doctor, but she was already running to a Cerberus shuttle that had stopped nearby.

"She's getting away!" Shepard said as Eva jumped into the shuttle.

"Damnit! Normandy? James? Anyone?" Andrea asked.

A blue shuttle, identical to the Cerberus one, shot in from nearby.

"_I got this one!_" James shouted into the comm.

He rammed the shuttle into the other one, sending the Cerberus shuttle crashing to the ground. The team had to dive to evade the wreck. James regained control of his shuttle and landed it behind the team as they recovered. Ashley and Andrea helped Liara up as Shepard got up and met James.

"Normandy's en route. They'll be here soon." James reported.

"We need the data." Liara protested as the two Commanders helped her get back to the shuttle.

Then something banged on the door of the Cerberus shuttle, and the door was kicked out by Eva, still alive, and apparently a robot.

"Go! I got this." Andrea said, letting go of Liara and grabbing her M6G.

As Core started running at her, Andrea dumped her clip into her, and when it ran out, she dropped the pistol and met Eva's charge. She swiped a punch at the cyborg, but Eva dodged it and hauled the half-ton Spartan off the ground by her helmet. With one hand.

"Andrea!" Shepard shouted from behind them.

Eva quickly overloaded the armor's systems, making Andrea go limp as she raised a fist to punch the mech.

"Orders?" The Doctor asked the Illusive Man.

"_Finish her, but leave the helmet intact. I want the AI for study._"

Core whipped the Spartan around and slammed her headfirst into the shuttle three times. Then she was smashed into the burning hull a fourth time and the mech dropped her. Shepard and Ashley withered the mech with bullets, and it went down. The team rushed to Andrea.

"Andrea! Andrea!" Shepard pleaded.

She was out cold. Liara used her biotics to help James and Shepard haul her aboard the shuttle while Ashley grabbed the mech.

"_Shepard, we got Reaper signatures in orbit!_" Joker told them as James sat at the controls and got them the hell out of the Mars Outpost.

"Get us the hell out of here, Lieutenant! Now!" Shepard told him as Reapers touched down on Mars and the shuttle flew away.

**Ooooohhhh. Cliffhanger. I love these types of endings.**

**Well, while you're on the site, I have another book up, The Shadow War. And I'm accepting OC's for it. So if you've got the time, check it out.**

**On another note, this book's going to take a little while to write, because I have no ambition to play ME3. I'm busy with Dragon Age Inquisition, and an associated fanfic. So don't expect a lot of updates. this was a Christmas present for everyone from me.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Citadel I

Chapter 2: The Citadel, Part 1

**First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**As a late (Sorry for that) holiday present to all of you, I have included a preview of my next story, Dragon Age: The Fade Walker, at the end of this chapter. It'll be out later this month or early February. So enjoy.**

_SSV Normandy SR-2. Deck Five, Shuttle Bay._

As soon as the shuttle touched down in the bay, Shepard, James and Ashley were hauling Andrea to the med-bay, and the Commander was ordering Joker to get them to the Citadel.

"Liara, see what you and EDI can learn from that thing." Shepard said when they set the Spartan down in the med-bay.

"_Commander, I am receiving a signal over the secondary QEC. I believe it is Admiral Hackett._

"Patch it through to the comm room." He said as he ran to the CIC.

"_Shepard, are you reading me? Commander?_" Hackett asked when he got there.

The signal was a little touchy.

"EDI, can you clear this up?" Shepard asked.

"_I will try._"

"_Did you get to the Archives?_" Hackett asked.

"I was there. So was the Illusive Man."

"_I was worried Cerberus might try something. Did you get the data?_"

"Most of it. He downloaded some before we could stop him. EDI and Liara are analyzing what we recovered." Shepard said as Liara joined him.

"_What have you learned? Was it worth the effort?_"

"Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device." Liara told the Admiral.

"_Device?_"

"A weapon, massive in size and scope, that's capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction." She said as she projected the blueprints onto a small display next to the holo of the Admiral.

"_Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right, this might be the key to stopping the Reapers._"

"I hope so. Staff-Commander Bartus was injured, but we don't know how badly."

"_Sorry to hear that, Shepard. But we both know this is just the beginning. Talk to the Council, show them what you found. With luck, they'll give you all the support we need._"

"And if they don't?"

"_Do whatever it takes to get them on board._"

"Yes, sir." The Commander said.

"_I'll be in touch soon. Hackett out."_

The link cut, and Shepard left for the war room.

"The Admiral's right. It's going to get worse, isn't it?"

"Yeah. How's Andrea doing?"

"She's stable, but she hasn't woken up yet. I can't tell you when that will be."

"How about five minutes ago?" The Spartan asked as she walked in, massaging her head and missing her helmet, which was on her belt.

"How are you feeling? Those were some nasty hits you took there." Shepard asked.

"Like shit. My head hurts like hell. Cortana says I have a concussion, but I don't believe her. I'm moving fine, and I'm not sensitive to light at all."

"Well, the AI in your head can probably tell you what's wrong with you to a good level of accuracy. Take it easy for a bit, Andrea."

"Sure. Thanks for pulling me out of the fire, Shepard."

"No problem."

Andrea left for her cargo bay, which was still just the same as she had left it. She booted up one of the terminals and looked at the reports from Earth. They were horrible.

"Man, I wish I was back on Earth."

"Why?" Shepard asked as he walked in.

"Because I can't fight here. I can't sit in the foxhole next to my fellow marines and kill Reapers. It doesn't feel right. I should be back there, helping Anderson."

"You respect him a lot."

"Oh, I respect him more than any other person in the whole damn galaxy, except for you. He was like a father to me when I enlisted. He was always watching my progress. He was the one who promoted me to Staff Commander. He was the one who transferred me back to the _Normandy_. And actually, just a few weeks before all this shit…"

She fell silent.

"What?" Shepard asked.

"He… adopted me. I'm his daughter now. I don't know why he did it, but he did."

"I'm so sorry." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's… hard, knowing that he's back on Earth, in some kind of hellhole somewhere, and here I am, safe and sound on the most advanced ship in the galaxy."

"God, I hate this shit." She finished.

"We'll go back, and he'll be waiting for you."

"I know, but will it be him or someone coming to tell me he's dead?"

"Don't talk like that, Andrea."

"I know. It's just, being on Reach, and seeing everyone around me die. Then seeing the hell of fighting the Collectors, and now this…"

"It gets to you. And the worst part is there's not a damn thing I can do about it." She continued.

"You can do something. Fight for them. Remember them. And when we go back, give the Reapers hell for them." Shepard told her.

"Yes, sir." She said, saluting.

Shepard left, and Andrea sat down and leaned against the wall, falling asleep in her full armor.

When she woke up, the ship was docking with the Citadel. She went to the bridge, and found them already docked and leaving. She left, in full armor, and garnered some confused looks from the rest of the crew.

"What? No time to remove it. Besides, this is like my second skin." She explained.

"It's just weird, seeing you still in your armor when we're on the Citadel." Ashley said.

"No, it's not. Believe me. The Collector attack on the Normandy proved that nowhere is truly safe. Then again, so did Reach."

"Come on, we need to see the Council." Liara told them.

"Looks like they might be coming to see us." James said.

Shepard and Andrea turned and saw Captain Bailey of C-Sec walking towards them.

"Commander Shepard. Got word you were arriving."

"Captain Bailey. Good to see you again." He said as they shook hands.

"You too. Though it's 'Commander' now."

"Congratulations?" Andrea said.

"Thanks. Now half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around. No offense."

"None taken." Shepard said.

"So, you're here to take us to the Council?" Ashley asked.

"I'm here to tell you the Council is expecting you, but they are dealing with their own… problems… with the war and everything. They apologize for the inconvenience and… blah, blah, blah, meet them here, at Udina's office. They'll be ready soon enough."

"Better than nothing." Andrea said.

"Let's get going." Shepard said.

"Not me. I'm just a tourist today. I'll try not to get into any trouble." James said.

"_Commander. We've got a situation in the Embassy Quarters. We could use your help._" A C-Sec officer told Bailey over the radio.

"I'll be right there."

Bailey started walking away.

"The other half of my job. I'll see you around, Shepard."

"No doubt." Shepard said.

The four piled in the elevator and took it to the Embassy Quarters, where they found Udina's office unlocked and waiting. An Asari attendant was waiting for them.

"Commanders. Councilor Udina said you'd be coming. If you'll follow me, the Council is already in session."

She took them to the Council Chambers, where they found the Turian and Human councilors in a heated debate.

"We have our own problems, Councilor. Earth is not in this alone." Turian Councilor Sparatus argued.

"But Earth was the first Council world hit. By all report, it faces the brunt of the attack." Udina said.

"By _your_ reports." Salarian Councilor Valern rebuked.

"The reports are accurate. Earth was attacked." Shepard said as the team walked up.

"By the Reapers." Andrea added.

"And it's just the beginning. We need your help, everything you can spare."

"Each of us faces a similar situation. Even now, the Reapers are pressing on our borders. If we lend you our strength to help Earth, our own worlds will fall." Asari Councilor Tevos said.

"We must fight this enemy together!" Udina argued.

"And we should just follow you to Earth?" Valern asked.

"Even if we were to unite our fleets, do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?" Sparatus asked Shepard.

"I don't expect you to follow us without a plan."

"Councilors, we have that plan. A blueprint, created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers." Liara explained.

"A blueprint for what?" Sparatus asked.

"We're still piecing it together. But it appears to be a weapon of some sort."

"Capable of destroying the Reapers?" Valern asked.

"So it would seem."

"The scale is… this would be a colossal undertaking."

"No. We already forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett. The remnants of the human fleet are already gathering resources to begin construction." Andrea explained.

"Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build." Liara said.

"If we work together…" Shepard said.

"Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans? What good did this weapon do?" Tevos asked.

"It was incomplete. There was a missing component. Here. Something referred to only as the Catalyst. But they ran out of time before they could finish building it." Liara explained.

"Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?" Sparatus asked Shepard.

"Liara believes it can work, and so do I. And while I haven't always agreed with Udina, he's right about this: We need to stand together, now more than ever."

"The Reapers won't stop at Earth. They'll destroy every organic being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them." Andrea said.

Tevos and Sparatus both looked to Valern, and he gave a slight shake of his head. Andrea glared behind her helmet at them.

_Goddamn politicians. UNSC needs to come beat some sense into this galaxy._ She thought.

"The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup." Tevos told them.

"You inconsiderate-" Andrea had to really try in order to stop herself from cursing them out.

"We are convening a summit amongst our species. If we can manage to secure our own borders, we may once again consider aiding you." Valern said.

"I'm sorry, Commander. That is the best we can do."

"We have other business to attend to that involves one of your crew, though. Business that could aid your fight against the Reapers" Sparatus said.

"What?! Why was I never told of this!?" Udina said, looking at the terminal in front of him.

"The decision was made when Admiral Anderson was Councilor." Valern explained.

"She's an absolute renegade! You've heard what she did on the Normandy!"

"That is precisely why she is perfect. Right now, we need people who are willing and able to get the job done by any means necessary." Sparatus told him.

"Staff Commander. Step forward." Valern said.

"What's…?"

Shepard bumped her shoulder, urging her forward.

As she stepped forward, the Councilors each put in a command on the terminals in front of them.

"It is the decision of this Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Tevos began.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen, Individuals forged in the fires of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." Sparatus continued.

"Spectres are an ideal. A symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance, they are the right hand of the Council. Instruments of our will." Tevos continued.

"Spectres bear a great burden. Protectors of galactic peace, they are both our first and last lines of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are only the second human to become a Spectre. This is a great advancement for your species, Commander Taylor." Valern told her.

"I… I'm honored."

"_The first Spartan, the first UNSC soldier, to become a Spectre. This is huge, Andrea._" Cortana told her.

"Yeah." She breathed as she stepped back with her comrades.

"Councilors, I would like to stay with Commander Shepard on the Normandy. I feel that that is where I would do the most good." She told them.

"We were about to say that, as well." Sparatus told her.

"Shepard, Andrea. Meet me in my office." Udina said as the Council walked off.

"Wow. That's huge, Andrea." Shepard said.

"Congrats, SC." Ashley told her.

"Thanks." She said as they walked out and to Udina's office.

"You earned it." Shepard told her.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Oh, quit it, Staff. Feel a little bit of pride for yourself. You're a Council Spectre now." Ashley told her.

"Don't feel any different from being a Spartan. Still just a soldier, except now, I answer to politicians instead of an actual commanding officer. Well, I guess Shepard counts as a CO."

The team walked in, and found Udina pacing the room.

"They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses!" He shouted.

"We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second-rate."

"'Congratulations on becoming a Spectre, Staff Commander.' 'Thanks'. Asshole." Andrea whispered to herself.

"How can they be so blind?" Shepard asked, oblivious to Andrea's comment.

"They're scared, and they're looking out for themselves." Udina said.

"_Our people_ are scared, and we are looking out for them the best we know how." Sparatus said as he entered the room.

"Oh, boy, another politician." Ashley said.

"Councilor." Udina said.

"Commanders. I can't give you what you need, but I can tell you how to get it." Sparatus told Shepard.

"We're listening." Shepard said.

"Primarch Fedorian called the war summit, but… we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. Those meetings won't proceed without him. The _Normandy_ is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected."

"So far, you've only explained how we can help you." Andrea said.

"It might seem that way. But the leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future. The fate of our fleets, where they fight, and with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us." Sparatus told them.

"We're at war, and you want us to play politician?" Shepard asked.

"If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?" Sparatus said as he walked over to a nearby wall terminal.

"Great. More political BS." Ashley commented.

"Our latest intelligence says the Primarch was moved to a base on Palaven's largest moon. I've done all I can to help. The rest is up to you." Sparatus said, walking away.

"There is one other thing. The Council wanted me to tell you, Commander… we've chosen to uphold your Spectre status. And to extend our congratulations to Staff Commander Bartus. And various resources will be made available to you two." He said, leaving.

"Good day."

"Well, that went well." Shepard commented.

"Better than I thought it would." Ashley added.

"_Same here_." Cortana said.

"It's a start. I'll talk to the others in the meantime. See if we can support this summit. Move things along."

"Thanks." Shepard said.

"Come on, let's get back to the Normandy." Andrea said.

As they walked out to the elevator, they ran into James, who was staring out at the Presidium He said that this was his first time on the Presidium, and that it didn't feel right, like the place was trying to make people forget about the war, the Reapers, the death and destruction. They all went back to the ship, and left for Palaven.

"_Comm from Admiral Hackett for you, Commander._" Joker told them as they left the Citadel.

Andrea and Shepard went to the comm room and found the Admiral waiting for them.

"_Staff-Commander, I understand you took quite a hit. How are you holding up?_"

"Pretty well, actually."

"_That's good to hear. Anderson was worried when I passed along the news._"

"_Udina updated me on your meeting with the Council. Sounds like they're running scared._" He continued.

"We did present them with a lot of unknowns. They're feeling threatened and want immediate solutions, not theories." Shepard said.

"_Like making you a Spectre._ _It's a great honor, Commander_." The Admiral told Andrea.

"They said the decision was made while Anderson was Councilor."

"_Then they lied. Anderson stepped down after you completed officer training. But it was formalized a week later, when Udina officially took the position. And by then, you were back on the _Normandy_._"

"And I was scouted during months after being transferred_._ Why lie?"

"_Maybe to get Udina to budge. He never liked how fast you ascended the ranks. Thought you were too headstrong and hasty. He would never let you become a Spectre without good reason._"

"Yeah, I get that."

"_But theories are all we've got right now to stop the Reapers. What's your plan?_" He asked Shepard.

"I'm trying to get the Turian Primarch for a summit meeting with the Asari and Salarians."

"_I'll be expecting regular updates on your progress. Hackett out._"

They left, and in a few hours, were near Palaven.

**So, how about that preview?**

Dragon Age: The Fade Walker

_The Veil has been sundered. Demons storm through Rifts in the Fade and terrorize the land of Thedas. In the midst of this, the reformed Inquisition is all that stands against the chaos, with the Herald of Andraste at its head._

_But there is another with the mark._

_From another land across the Fade, a man with a disturbing, and quite unbelievable, past has been forced into Thedas by forces out of his control. Volunteering his skills to the Inquisition, he will get more than he ever bargained for. Dark forces are at work in Thedas, and within Major Greg Shepard's very soul…_

"_**Nanosuit compromised. Unknown entity detected. Compiling interface… interface aborted. Suit integrity at forty-nine percent. Beginning repairs. Warning: Unknown energy detected. Beginning analysis…**_" A voice in his head told him.

Darkness reigned supreme. Greg could feel himself floating, but there was no way to tell where he was. Static and distortion played across his HUD, and his limbs felt unusually heavy.

"_**Warning: Nanosuit integrity compromised. Repairs impossible. Suit integrity at forty percent and falling. Recommend removal of suit. Activating separation protocols.**_"

_It has been an honor, Greg Shepard. _Something said.

As much as he tried, he could not speak. His mouth and teeth felt like lead in his skull.

"_**Separation protocols engaged. Beginning separation.**_"

His body lightened as the suit separated from him. It disintegrated around him, leaving the surrounding area glowing red as the ashes faded away.

A spark appeared in front of him, revealing a pair of cogs on a chain around his neck. Green and translucent, the spark whisked around him, going up and down the length of his body before coming to a halt at eye level. It stayed there for what seemed like a long time and Greg just stared back in confusion.

"_Hello._" It said in a child-like female voice.

"Uh… Hello?"

"_You have not visited in some time. I am Serenity. Do you remember me?_"

**Interested yet? Want more? Keep a look out.**

**PS: NO, HE'S NOT COMMANDER SHEPARD. DON'T EVEN THINK THAT. IT'S SOMEONE ELSE.**


	4. Chapter 3: Palaven

Chapter 3: Mobilizer

**Hey! Just wanted to take a few lines and give everyone a bit of a rundown of my plans for the new year. Obviously, this story will continue and be my number one priority where FF is concerned. Second is a tie between Dragon Age: The Fade Walker, and The Shadow Walker. Probably gonna put up TFW in a few weeks, as soon as I finish the first chapter (Inquisition is hard to write for!), and then that**

_Normandy SR-2. In orbit over Menae, Palaven's largest moon._

The team piled in the shuttle and headed for the surface of the moon. Not much info was available, as most of the moon's data was classified during the Krogan Rebellions. The vid screen showed the Turian homeworld, and it was bad.

"Oh, no. No. Palaven." Liara said.

"We have an old friend there." Shepard told James, who looked confused.

"A very good friend." Andrea added.

"Holy hell, they're getting decimated." James said.

"Strongest military in the galaxy and the Reapers are obliterating it." Shepard said.

"Was it like this on Earth?" Liara asked.

"Yes." The rest of the team said in unison.

"I'm so sorry."

"Yeah."

"Commander, the LZ is getting swarmed." Cortez told them.

"Ashley, open that hatch." Shepard said.

A second later, the hatch was open, and they saw the husks climbing the rock wall in front of them. The team opened fire, and killed them all before the shuttle landed.

"If you're looking for command, it's around the corner, past the first barricade." A Turian soldier told them.

As they approached the barricade, they found a trio of Turian soldiers aiming rifles at them, but when they came into view, the soldiers lowered their weapons, calling them friendlies.

"That's nice." Andrea said.

They went in and found the Turian commander at a terminal being briefed by his soldiers.

"Tobestik, get your men up on that north barricade. Sergeant Bartus, find a way to get that comm tower operational."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir."

The two other Turians left as Shepard and company approached.

"General?" Shepard asked.

"Commander Shepard. Heard you were coming, but I didn't believe it. General Corinthus."

"I've come to get Primarch Fedorian."

The General stopped dead at those words. "Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the moon."

"Fuck." Andrea said.

"That makes things interesting." Ashley added.

"That's going to complicate things." Shepard said.

"I'm sorry, I hear he was a good man." Andrea said.

"And a friend. He would have made an outstanding diplomat."

"So what happens now?" Shepard asked.

"The Turian Hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession." Liara explained.

"Right. General?"

"With such heavy casualties, it's hard for me to be certain who the next Primarch is. Palaven Command will know."

"However…?" Andrea began.

"However, at the moment, contacting them is impossible. The comm tower is out. Husks are swarming that area; we can't get close enough to repair it."

"Bet we can." Andrea said.

"Thank you. I'll take care of things on this end."

"Well, the Husks await."

Around the barricade, they found the comm tower, and Sergeant Bartus and his men.

"Husks at the tower swarmed us."

"We got 'em." Andrea said, flaring her biotics and readying her MA37.

She charged towards the tower, generating a Nova attack as she got near. She jumped into the air and slammed her fist into the ground, killing the three Husks around the tower. More came, and were handled easily by the team.

Andrea was already at the terminal at the base of the tower, trying to repair it.

"Son of a bitch. I gotta go up. Keep me covered." She told the team.

She climbed the ladder and found another terminal.

"Cortana?"

"_Give me a second…_"

She waited while Cortana repaired the connection, and was ambushed by a Husk from behind.

"Fuck!"

The Husk threw a clawed hand at her, which she caught and threw off the tower.

"_Got it!_"

"Shepard, main satellite connection is back up."

"_Got it. General, comm tower is operational._"

"_Roger that. I'll contact Command_."

"More inbound!" James said as more Husks stormed the tower. Andrea jumped down and slammed her boot into one as she threw another with her biotics, but there were more coming. A few minutes later, Corinthus contacted them again.

"_Commander Shepard, come in._"

"Go ahead."

"_I have information from Palaven Command. Please return ASAP._"

"On our way. Let's go."

They hauled ass back to the command post, and found General Corinthus once again hunched over the tactical display.

"What have you got?" Shepard asked.

"As your partner said, succession is usually simple, but right now, the Hierarchy's in chaos; so many dead or MIA."

"I need someone. I don't care who, as long as they can get us the Turian resources we need."

A Turian walked up the ramp across from them, cradling an M-97 Viper Sniper rifle. Andrea smiled as he came up. He was an old friend from their days with Cerberus.

"I'm on it, Shepard. We'll find you the Primarch."

"Garrus!" Shepard said.

"Vakarian, sir! I didn't see you arrive." Corinthus said as he saluted.

"At ease, General." Garrus said.

"Good to see you again. I thought you'd be on Palaven." Shepard said.

"If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so I'm… advising."

"James, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped us defeat the Collectors. He's a hell of a soldier. And a great friend." Andrea said, as James was the only one who didn't know Garrus.

"Lieutenant. Good to see you too, Liara. And you, Andrea."

"You too." Andrea said.

"Good to see you in one piece, Garrus." Liara added.

"General Corinthus filled me in. We know who we're after."

"Who?" Andrea asked.

"Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus." Corinthus told them.

"Victus? His name's crossed my desk." Liara said.

"Know him, Garrus?" Shepard asked.

"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military. Gets results, popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command. Has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy." Garrus explained.

"You think he can get the job done?" Andrea asked.

"We all know conventional strategy won't defeat the Reapers. Right now, he could be our best shot. And I trust him."

"Okay. Let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here." Shepard said.

"_Commander! Shepard, come in._" Joker hailed.

"Can this wait, Joker? We're in the middle of a war zone."

"_We've got a situation on the Normandy, Commander. It's like she's possessed. Shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can't find the source._"

"I need the Normandy standing by; we may have to bug out." Shepard said.

"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara asked.

"Do it."

Liara left for the shuttle.

"Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Yeah, but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there."

"We're trying to raise him, Commander." Corinthus told him.

"Incoming Harvester, headed for the airfield!" James told them as a dragon-like Reaper troop flew over and to the airfield.

The Turian defenders rained hell on it, but it didn't go down.

"General, tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here. In the meantime, let's go take care of whatever that thing dropped off."

"Coming, Garrus?" Andrea asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm right behind you."

"James, that you breathing so hard?" Shepard asked as they neared the airfield.

"Air's just a little thinner than I'm used to is all. Adrenaline's better than oxygen any day."

"Until you die." Andrea commented.

The airfield was empty, but as the team walked in, Reaper forces began to pour in. Some husks, supported by a new kind of Reaper troop.

"Is it just me, or do those things look like Turians?" James asked.

"_They are, Lieutenant_." Cortana told him.

"That second voice is really creeping me out, SC."

"Get used to it." Andrea rebuked.

They took down the Turian Reapers, called Marauders, and then focused on the Husks. One managed to get behind Andrea, and climbed on her back.

"Ah! You mechanical bitch!" She shouted as it started clawing at her.

She reached around, grabbed its head, and slammed it to the ground. She then brought up her boot and smashed its head into the ground.

"Die, will you?"

"Losing your edge, SC?" Ashley asked.

"Shut it. I haven't fought Reaper troops in a long time."

"You've never fought Reaper troops."

"Exactly."

They went back to the command post, and the General contacted them.

"_Shepard, come in._"

"Go ahead."

"_Still trying to raise the Primarch, but we've got trouble back here at the main barricade. If the Reapers breach it, we're done_."

"On our way!"

The team took off running, and Andrea reached the barricade first, since she was a Spartan, and climbed the ladder up. She got on the turret as Husks rained down in front of the barricade. The turret tore through the Husks, and with the team supporting her, Andrea made easy work of them.

"Just picking 'em off. Maybe I can do three at a time. Wahoo!" James said.

More husks, more turret fire, more banter from the team.

"Okay, come on! Who's next?" Garrus taunted.

As the next wave dropped down, James made an interesting, and accurate, comment.

"Yeah! Like fish in a barrel!"

"No shit, LT!" Ashley added.

"What?" Garrus asked.

"Old human saying. 'Like fish in a barrel'." James explained.

"They're on the barricade!" Garrus said as Andrea blasted one that had climbed up.

"What was that, Garrus?! I couldn't hear you over the sound of Reaper Husks being torn apart!"

"Never mind."

Then another new Reaper troop smashed down in front of them. It was a hulking mass of flesh and cybernetics, and it was pissed. Definitely Krogan, with that attitude.

"What the fuck!?" Andrea shouted.

"Holy hell! What is that thing?" James added.

It roared, and charged the barricade. When it smashed, Andrea was thrown off-balance and had to jump, landing right in front of the thing.

"Ah, shit! Shit! Shit!" She yelled as she got up and ran for cover.

"Really wish I had my Widow right now!" She said as the rest of the team came down.

"You and me both." Garrus added.

Andrea grabbed her MA37 and M7 SMG and started firing with both. The damn thing didn't go down even when she had used three magazines from both.

"What the fuck! What is this thing, a fucking Krogan!?"

"I hope not!" Shepard added as he let loose a bolt of fire from his omni-tool, and it finally went down under the combined fire of the team.

"Holy shit." Ashley said.

"_Shepard. Corinthus here._"

"What's the word on the Primarch?"

"_Still can't get a stable comm link._"

"Okay. We're going on foot. Shepard out."

"This should be fun." Ashley commented.

"Target practice." Andrea said as she reloaded her MA37 and M7.

"Garrus, take us to the last place you saw Victus." Shepard told the Turian.

The latter took point and led them through the ruins of Menae.

"How far?" Shepard asked.

"Should be pretty quick, unless we run into trouble." Garrus answered.

"And we always do." Andrea said.

They slid down a small slope, with Andrea just jumping it, and got a good view of Palaven.

"Damnit. Look at Palaven. That blaze of orange. The big one. That's where I was born."

"That's rough." James said.

"I know the feeling." Andrea added.

"Still have family there?" Shepard asked.

"My dad. A sister."

"How bad is it?" Ashley asked.

"Three million lost the first day. Five the second."

"How's your military holding up?" Shepard asked.

"Look around. That should give you some idea."

"You're putting up a good fight." Andrea said.

"For now. But how long's it take before the fight's kicked out of you?"

"About as long as it takes to kill us all."

"If only they'd listened to your warnings about the Reapers, Shepard. We might have been ready."

"Maybe. Hard to figure how you prepare for something like this." Ashley said.

"I have an idea." Andrea said.

"How?"

"It's a long shot. And it's pointless now, anyway."

"Could help for the next war."

"You think there's gonna be a 'next war'? Hell, there might not even be a 'next year' for us."

"Real optimistic." James commented.

"I have a damn _right_ to be. I watched my home get turned to glass, and my parents along with it. I was five years old. For the next twenty years, I watched planet after planet become balls of glass, and I had to watch from the bridge of a spaceship. Then I watched my entire team die around me within the course of a damn week, and there was nothing I could do for them. Then all the shit with the Collectors, and now this. How am I supposed to feel?"

No one got to answer, as the group was attacked by Husks. They all went down easily.

"Shit, I hate those things. And New York is crawling with the creepy bastards? Never should have left Earth." James said.

"It's gonna be bad all over." Garrus said as they started walking again.

"Leaving the fight just pisses me off."

"But you're here asking Victus to do the same thing. Leave the fight to make nice in some boardroom."

"This summit is the only chance we've got. None of us is beating the Reapers alone." Shepard said.

"UNSC could. Kick their asses from one end of the galaxy to the other, and make it hurt." Andrea commented.

They found a pair of Turians near the crash of a fighter.

"Soldier! You okay?" Andrea asked.

"Yes, ma'am. We'll make it."

"Have you seen General Victus?" Garrus asked.

"Half-hour ago. Headed south."

"Okay. Good luck."

As they kept walking, a Turian fighter screamed in overhead, and was taken down by a Harvester.

"Whoa, shit! Look out!" James yelled as it crashed not thirty feet in front of them.

"That was a little closer than I'd like!" Garrus said.

"I'll say." Ashley added.

Andrea and Shepard took a look at the crash site.

"No survivors. Damnit!" Andrea said.

"Crash like that, it's not surprising." Garrus responded.

"So, Loco… You really think this summit will work? I mean Asari? Salarians? Where's the Krogan and Batarians? Where's the meat?" James asked Shepard.

"It's not that easy."

"The Batarians took the first hit when the Reapers arrived. Not much left of them. And the Krogan have never forgiven us for the Genophage." Garrus explained.

"Right. Turians sterilized 'em." James said.

"Salarians came up with it."

"And the Krogan hate them both for it." Shepard concluded.

"So they won't be joining us."

"Too bad. I fought with a Krogan. They're tough sons of bitches."

"No shit." Andrea added.

Silence as they walked along, complete and utter silence.

"_You know Mordin kept Maelon's research data on the Genophage immunity, right?_" Cortana asked Andrea.

"Yeah. Something tells me that's going to be a factor soon."

They heard the sounds of fighting nearby, and the Reaper in the background was getting closer.

"That sounds bad!" Ashley said.

"Okay, double time! No Reaper is taking this Primarch from me." Shepard said.

"Right behind you!" James said.

They ran for the camp nearby, and found the Reapers already dropping troops in. Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders all attacked the team.

"Sir, we got backup!" A Turian soldier shouted.

"Shit! Brute!" Ashley yelled as said a Brute roared and charged at them.

Andrea grabbed her sword and kukri and flared her biotics as adrenaline flooded her system.

(Spartan Time)

She ran right at the Brute, and vaulted over it, ramming her shortsword into its back to support her, and then slicing and dicing with Emile's kukri. Last but not least, she removed her sword and cut its head off as it fell.

"Hah! Take that, you son of a bitch!" She said as more Reaper troops flooded the area.

"Okay, boys, now's our chance!" General Victus yelled from cover.

The Turians popped out of cover, and hailed bullets onto the Reaper troops, bringing them down seamlessly with help from Shepard's team.

The barricade on one of the small enclosures lowered, and Victus walked out.

"General Victus." Shepard said as the team approached.

"Yes."

"I'm Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_."

"Ah, Commander. I know who you are. And you as well, Staff-Commander." He said, indicating to Andrea. "I can't wait to find out what brings you out here. Vakarian, where did you go?" He then asked Garrus.

"Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank? I believe your exact words were 'Get that thing the hell off my men'."

"Appreciate it."

"General, you're needed off-planet. We've come to get you." Shepard began.

"It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my Turian brothers and sisters, in their fight."

"Fedorian was killed." Garrus told him. "You're the new Primarch."

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers." Shepard added.

Victus was silent as he walked towards them, behind them, and looked at the battle-scarred Palaven.

"I'm Primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the Turian Hierarchy?" He asked, doubt edging his tone.

"Yes."

"I've spent my whole life in the military. I'm no diplomat. I hate diplomats." Victus said as he turned around.

"Makes two of us." Andrea said.

"Then you understand my reluctance."

"What makes you think you're not qualified?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not really a 'by the book' kind of guy, and I piss people off. My family's been military since the Unification War. War is my life. It's in my bones. But that kind of passion is… deceptive. Can make you seem reckless when you're anything but."

"War is your resume. At a time like this, we need leaders who've been through that hell."

"I like that. You're right." Victus said.

"And honestly; uniting these races may take as much strength as facing the Reapers." Andrea said.

"See this devastation, Primarch? Double that for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the Turian Fleet." Shepard said.

"Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men." Victus said after a pause.

As Victus walked away, Garrus walked over.

"Without him down here, there's a good chance we lose this moon."

"Without him up there, there's a good chance we lose everything."

Garrus stared at a Reaper nearby. Sovereign-Class.

"Look at that, and they want my opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante, and _I'm_ their expert advisor? Think you can win this thing, Shepard?"

"Yeah, I don't know, Garrus. But I'm sure as hell gonna give it my best shot."

"I'm damn sure nobody else can do it. For whatever it's worth, I'm with you."

"Welcome aboard." Shepard said as he shook Garrus' hand.

"Are you ready, Primarch Victus?" Shepard asked.

"One thing." Victus said as he walked back.

"There's always 'one thing'." Andrea commented.

"Commander, I appreciate your need for our fleets, but I can't spare them, not while my world is burning. But if the pressure could be taken off Palaven…"

"Even the II's couldn't do that." Andrea said.

"That's a pretty tall order." Shepard added.

"We need the Krogan. I can't see us winning this thing without them. Get them to help us, and then we can help you."

"The Krogan…" Shepard said in disbelief.

"Looks like your summit just got a lot more interesting." Garrus said.

The team walked away, back to the Normandy, with Victus in tow.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Andrea said.

"Me too." Garrus told her.

**So, yeah. The Krogan. We all know how that goes down, especially with the most badass of 'em all (Well, maybe it's a tie.) representing the Krogan. It'll go up soon, I promise!**


	5. Chapter 4: Sur'Kesh

Chapter 4: Sur'Kesh

_SSV Normandy. Deck 2: CIC. Comm Room._

"Some of these issues are hundreds of years old. Time to let go." Shepard argued as Andrea walked in.

The Commander was in a heated discussion with the Asari Councilor, and it seemed like he was losing.

"_Sad to say, but any effort to ally these disparate groups seems doomed to failure. And I'm sure you understand that we cannot afford to waste time with the Reapers knocking at our door. This must be my final word. I'm sorry, but the Asari will not be at your summit._"

"Our alliance would be stronger with the Krogan. You need them. We all do."

"_I wish you luck, Commander._"

The link cut, and Shepard shook his head as he walked out.

"Now you see why the UNSC never let the politicians run the war." Andrea commented.

"Yeah, if only that could happen here."

"_Commander, Admiral Hackett is available on vid-comm._" Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor told them.

Shepard turned back around and linked them to Hackett.

"_Commanders, have you retrieved the Primarch for your summit?_" Hackett asked.

"Yes, sir. But the Asari are staying on the sidelines." Shepard answered.

"_They'll regret that. The time for unity is now._"

"You'd think that the end of all life as we know it would make that happen." Andrea commented.

"The Salarians will be there, though." Shepard said.

"_You don't sound very optimistic._"

"We expect the Krogan will be joining us, too." Andrea said.

"_I see. Well then, you've got your hands full, Commanders. Was there something else you needed to discuss?_"

"No, sir."

"_Keep me posted. Hackett out._"

The link cut, and Andrea went to her cargo bay while Shepard talked with Primarch Victus. When Andrea arrived in the bay, the lights flicked and the normal hum died down.

"_Commander? EDI just went offline."_ Joker told Shepard.

"What do you mean 'offline'?"

"_I don't know. She's not responding, and I can't access the AI core diagnostics. You'd better get down to Deck Three._"

The AI core in the back of the med-bay was locked when they got there, but it unlocked as they approached.

"Joker, what's that sound?" Shepard asked as a small bang resounded from inside.

"_Fire extinguishers, Commander. Could be an electrical fire… or something._"

"Let's go." Andrea said as she opened the door.

Inside, the room was filled with smoke, and a few wires were on fire. Andrea stomped them out, and then tried to see through the smoke.

"EDI, talk to me." Shepard said as he walked in right behind her.

The core hummed to life once more as the robot from Mars stepped out. Andrea instantly was across the room and had her pistol jammed in its face.

"You again." She said.

"Is there a reason you show hostility, Staff-Commander?" It said in EDI's voice.

"What the hell did you do to EDI?"

"I think that _is _EDI." Shepard stated.

"Yes."

Andrea hesitantly lowered her pistol and took a step back.

"You're in Dr. Eva's body." Shepard said.

"Not all of me, but I have control of it. It was not a seamless transition."

"A transition? You blacked out on us for a while there." Andrea said replacing her Magnum in its spot.

"Correct. When we brought this unit onboard, I began a background process to search for its information on the Prothean Device. This eventually triggered a trap, a backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I was able to gain root access and repurpose it as I saw fit. During this process it… struggled. Thus the fire."

"EDI, you need to alert us about incidents like this. You shouldn't have done this alone."

"Bringing the crew up to speed would have been counterproductive. All attempts to help would have been limited by reaction time." EDI said as the fire extinguishers shut off.

"_So if you're in there, are you still in the ship_?" Cortana asked.

"I exist primarily within the ship, for optimal control, this unit should remain within _Normandy_'s broadcast or tightbeam range."

"Are you planning to take that body somewhere?" Andrea asked.

"_Normandy_'s weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This platform could provide limited-fire ground support."

"You mean you could come with us?" Shepard asked.

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the _Normandy_ cannot reach."

"Before we do that, I need you to guarantee this mech doesn't have any more surprises in it. Run whatever tests you can, then we can talk about using it in combat situations."

"One moment, I am running trials. Complete. I can send you a full report if you wish. However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the _Normandy_, to reassure the crew that all is normal."

"Just… don't be surprised if the crew is a little wary of your new body. It was shooting at them a little while ago…" Andrea said.

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it."

"On that, we can all agree." Shepard said.

"Well, that's new." Andrea said as they walked out behind EDI.

"No kidding."

"I've seen AI's do some weird shit, but taking over a robot body like that? That one's just…" She whistled as she waved her hand above her head.

"Over my head." She finished.

"Talk to you later, Andrea."

"Yeah. I gotta go check my terminals, since _someone_ so rudely interrupted me the last time."

"_There was nothing I could have done, Staff-Commander._" EDI said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just poking at you. Don't take it personally."

She returned to her bay once again and let Cortana roam the systems, scavenging any data from the extranet that the AI deemed important.

"So, anything new?" Andrea asked.

"_A few things. This was spotted in the Terminus Systems a week ago._"

An image appeared of a small ship, bearing an insignia that looked like a pyramid with a double circle in the center.

"That's a Prowler."

"_Looks like they caught on to us. Took them long enough._"

"But how? There's been no…" She trailed off.

"_What is it?_"

"I'll tell you later. I just have a bad feeling about this."

She got up and went to the CIC, seeing as the _Normandy_ had met the Krogan and Salarian diplomatic ships, and found Shepard walking to the conference room in his dress uniform.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Politics."

"Want me to come?"

"Sure."

They walked in and saw the Salarian Dalatrass already arguing with the Krogan Clan Chief.

"The Krogan is in no position to make demands!" The Dalatrass said.

"The Krogan has a name: Urdnot Wrex. And I'm not just some junkyard Varren you unleash whenever you're in trouble."

He saw Andrea and Shepard walked in, and nodded.

"I've got my own problems. Reaper scouts have landed on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few Turians go extinct?"

"Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want." Primarch Victus said.

"And here it comes." Andrea whispered.

"I'll tell you what I need…"

Wrex paused, letting that comment sink in.

"A cure. For the Genophage."

The Dalatrass was appalled at the demand. "Absolutely not! The Genophage is non-negotiable!"

"Why the hell not?" Andrea asked.

"Because my people uplifted the Krogan. We know them best."

"You mean you used us!" Wrex rebuked. "To fight a war you couldn't win! It wasn't the Salarians, the Asari, or even the Turians that stopped the Rachni! It was Krogan blood that turned the tide!"

"And after that you ceased to be useful! The Genophage was the only way to keep your 'urges' in check."

Wrex glared at the Dalatrass. He was about to flip shit on her, and everyone could see it.

Dalatrass, you may not like him, but Wrex is right. Insulting him won't change that."

"I won't apologize for speaking the truth!"

"It may be the truth, but it was the truth a thousand years ago." Andrea pointed out.

"We uplifted the Krogan to do one thing: wage war. It's all they know because it's all we wanted them to know."

"Your people should have thought the matter through, then. Was it really a surprise the Krogan revolted?" Shepard asked.

"That's precisely my point, Commander. We made a rash decision. We turned to the Krogan in desperation. It's the same mistake you're about to make today. No good can come from curing the Genophage."

"Bullshit." Andrea said.

"The Krogan have paid for their mistakes. The Genophage has gone on long enough." Shepard said.

"One thousand, four hundred and seventy six years. If you're keeping track."

"It was a thousand years of peace, free from these… brutes!"

"Enough! Whether or not they deserve a cure is academic! It would take years to formulate one." Victus interjected.

"My information says otherwise." Wrex said.

He took Victus' spot at the head of the table.

"A Salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet, testing a cure on our females."

A vid appeared behind Wrex.

"I remember. His methods were barbaric." Shepard said.

"But what you didn't know was that other females survived his experiments."

The vid showed what appeared to be a research lab. The Salarian recording the vid ran to the wall, and they saw Krogan females.

"So the Dalatrass here sent in a team to clean up the whole mess, and to take them prisoner."

"Where did you get this? I-It could be a fabrication!" The Dalatrass instantly said.

"Don't insult me! Those are my people! They're immune to the Genophage, and you're going to give them back!" Wrex rebuked.

"Dalatrass, is this true?" Victus demanded.

"H-how will curing the Genophage benefit my people?" She asked, dodging the question.

"How long do you think you'll last alone against the Reapers? Because if you don't help, that's how it'll end up." Shepard said.

"And I'll be the last friendly Turian you ever see." Victus added.

"What's it gonna be?" Andrea asked.

The Dalatrass was silent for a minute. And Andrea was losing her patience.

"The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh. But I warn you, Commander! The consequences of this-"

"Will be nothing compared to what happens if the Reapers kill us all." Andrea interrupted, getting in the Dalatrass' face.

"Let's get the females." Wrex said.

"_You're_ not setting foot on Sur'Kesh! This will take time!"

"Spectre authority says he comes with us, and you can go to hell!" Andrea said.

"We're going." Shepard said.

"I won't forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!"

They ignored the Dalatrass, and Andrea went to the shuttle bay with Wrex, Shepard, Liara, and Garrus.

"This is the Salarian homeworld we're headed to. They're not used to seeing Krogan here, so let's keep it simple." Shepard said as he walked in on Wrex checking his shotgun. "We land, get the females, and get out before anyone changes their mind."

"I still don't trust a word they say." Wrex said.

"Let diplomacy play out, Wrex. You'll get what you want."

"A bullet does the same thing in half the time." Andrea said.

"These females are the best, and probably last hope for my people." Wrex said.

"We'll bring them back, Wrex. Don't worry." Liara told him.

"I appreciate that, Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, and Andrea laughed a bit.

"Feeling a little left out, Scars?" She asked.

"I suppose I can make room for you two as well." Wrex told them, laughing.

"Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne. Forgot how to hold a gun." Garrus told him.

"He may have forgotten that, but damned if he can't fight." Andrea commented.

"Yeah. We all saw how that turned out. Bloody face. Broken jaw. Hey, look, Wrex still has the scar. Oh, wait, that's just his nose."

"You're one to talk, Mr. Rocket to the Face."

"At least I tried to fight."

"And so did he."

"Thanks for the fight. I appreciated the chance to vent a bit." Wrex told her.

"Round two?"

"Maybe later."

"Commander, I have the Salarian base on sensors." Cortez told them from the cockpit.

"Set her down." Shepard told him.

The shuttle came in and hovered, but alarms went off.

"Commander, Salarian ground control says we don't have clearance to land."

"Tell them the Dalatrass authorized this herself."

"I knew they'd never keep their word." Wrex said.

"Time for some action?" Andrea said.

"Let's see 'em try and stop a Krogan Airdrop."

Wrex and Andrea went to the shuttle door and opened it up.

"Wait!" Shepard shouted.

They jumped out and landed with guns, and biotics, ready.

"We have an unauthorized… landing." A Salarian said.

"And who authorized you to hold my race hostage?" Wrex demanded as he launched the pair of Salarians who had come to stop them.

Andrea launched the next one who came up, and Wrex had his shotgun out as laser sights centered on them.

"Halt!" Another Salarian said as Shepard and company dropped out of the shuttle.

"Stand down! Hold your fire!" A Salarian in black armor ran up.

"Commander Shepard, restrain your colleagues. We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago."

"I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident." Shepard said.

"As would we."

"I really don't give a shit." Andrea added.

"But you have something valuable to Wrex." Shepard added.

"Something worth dying for." Wrex said.

"This matter can be resolved, but I must insist they remain under guard."

"No deal, asshole." Andrea said.

Wrex growled in agreement.

"I can handle this, guys." Shepard told them.

"So can my rifle." Andrea said.

"Anything goes wrong, and all bets are off." Wrex added.

Shepard walked away with the black-armored Salarian, and Andrea and Wrex were led down to the lower level.

"Try it and see what happens." Andrea said as she felt the Salarian's rifle touch her back.

"This whole planet smells wrong." Wrex said.

Wrex and Andrea stopped near a set of crates, and Andrea sat down, while Wrex stayed standing, with the Salarians watching them.

"This is where all you Salarians come from, huh? No wonder you're so soft." Wrex said.

"More occupied with writing poetry about waterfalls than preparing for a war." Andrea added.

Shepard walked over, and Andrea got off the crate.

"Shepard, I don't like this. I should be the one going in." Wrex told him.

"How about you stay here, and we only fight one war at a time?" Shepard said.

"That was just good old-fashioned Krogan hot air. If it'd been real, they'd be dead."

"Might still end up that way, if shit hits the fan like I think it will." Andrea added.

"It won't. Just stay up here, and we'll be out before you know it." Shepard told her.

"Yeah, sure."

"Who tipped you off about the females here?" Shepard asked Wrex.

"Sorry, Shepard, but they're listening to every word we say. I prefer my Salarian liver served raw!" Wrex said.

"I heard that kidney's taste better." Andrea said.

"Maybe to humans, but Salarian livers are a delicacy on Tuchanka. Besides, you'd think this is the kind of thing the Shadow Broker would've known about."

"Too bad we don't know him. Or her." Andrea added as she looked right at Liara.

"I'm sure the Broker was very busy." Liara told them. She sounded edgy, clearly unnerved that they knew about her role as the powerful information broker.

"Yeah. Right."

"Back on the _Normandy_, you said Reapers were sighted on Tuchanka." Shepard said to Wrex.

"Clans Jorgal and Ravanor sighted a few landing parties. The Reapers are up to something. Tuchanka may be a pile of radioactive rubble, but it's our pile. And we'll fight to the last Krogan to keep it that way."

"That's what I always liked about you, Wrex." Liara said.

"My smoldering good looks?"

The Asari chuckled. "There is that. But you've never given up, and that determination is about to pay off."

"Yeah. Who would have thought back on Virmire that we'd be standing here doing this together?"

"What do you know about these females?" Shepard asked.

"They weren't fertile, so we used them as decoys to draw off enemies from the ones who were. But Maelon's experiments changed that. These damn pyjacks stole them right out from under us." Wrex said.

"That's a pretty brutal way to treat your women, Wrex." Andrea said as she sat back down on the crate.

"The females suggested it. We've had to make a lot of tough choices to ensure we don't all die off."

"What a horrible way to live." Liara said.

"One more thing that'll get better when the Genophage is cured, I guess."

"Are the Krogan ready to fight the Reapers?" Shepard asked.

"Ever since Sovereign showed up, I figured this day would come. My people have spent too much time selling ourselves out as mercenaries. Now we can get back to doing what Krogan do best…" Wrex said.

"Saving everyone else from giant monsters?" Andrea asked.

"Yep."

"Never going to let us forget about the Rachni Wars, are you?" Garrus asked.

"Last time I was at the Citadel, I didn't see a Turian statue in your honor." Wrex laughed.

"Just wait 'till this war is over."

"It's been good talking to you again, Wrex." Shepard said.

"It'll be even better when we have a few Salarians for lunch."

"I'm an expert on cooking them. How do we want them? Grilled? Baked? Fried? Raw?" Andrea asked.

Shepard walked away, and Andrea watched Cortana's progress on hacking the Salarian intel networks.

"So how's it coming?" She asked the AI.

"_Not the best. These security networks are harder to break into than others. I'll need a few-_"

She was cut off as alarms started going off in the base.

"_Alert. Threat level two has been declared. Scramble readiness teams._" A Salarian announced over the PA system.

Wrex took a look at the shuttle, and Andrea already knew what he was going to do.

"I'm driving." Andrea said.

"Oh, really? And what makes you think you're a better driver than me?" Wrex asked her.

"The AI in my helmet."

"Alright. You drive. I'll see what I can do."

As the Salarians gathered to deploy, Andrea and Wrex went to the shuttle.

"I'll take the helm, Cortez." Andrea told him.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Cortana?"

"_On it._"

A bar appeared on the Spartan's HUD, indicating the progress on the interface. It suddenly dropped as it neared full.

"What just…?"

"_**THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! THEY'VE ALREADY FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU!**__ Blast it!_"

"Concentrate, Cortana. You can do this. Just think about interfacing with the shuttle. Okay?"

"_Okay._" She whispered.

The bar filled, and Cortana helped her get a feel for the controls.

"_Alert. Unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter._" A Salarian said over the PA.

Andrea looked out and saw the shuttles. White and yellow designs.

"Ah, shit! I knew it!"

"Shepard, it's Wrex. Cerberus troops are attacking the base! Get the females out of there now!"

"_Only one survived, Wrex. It might be safer down here._"

"What? So the Salarians can kill her like the others? No deal! If you still want this alliance, get her out of there!"

"Little harsh, don't you think?" Andrea asked.

"Not a bit."

"Okay. Shepard, it's Andrea. We took the shuttle. Do whatever it takes to get the female up to the landing pad! We'll try to make life miserable for Cerberus."

She expertly flew the shuttle around, harassing the Cerberus troops and lending assistance where she could. A few times the controls got away from her as Cortana fell into fits of rampancy.

"Come on, Cortana. Hang in there."

"_I'm __**trying…**__ But…_"

"That's it. Wrex, take the controls. I'm going down." Andrea told the Krogan.

"Yeah, step aside."

"Shepard, I'm coming down." She commed.

"_Got it._ _Meet us at the second checkpoint. Sending location._"

"On my way."

She opened up the shuttle door and jumped as it flew over a large-ish platform. She landed on the edge and slid a bit, but she didn't go over.

"I'm down and moving." She reported.

She walked for a bit before finding a squad of Cerberus troops fortifying a location on one of the walkways.

"_Orion squad, your orders are to hold position and block access to next checkpoint._"

"This will be fun." She said as a Combat Engineer set up a turret.

Garrus slid in beside her, and grabbed his sniper rifle.

"Thought you were going to play fly-girl this time." He told her.

"Got tired of it, needed some dirt beneath my feet. So I jumped ship. Literally."

"Sounds good to me."

"What's the plan, Commander?" She asked Shepard.

"Mordin's handling the female. We have to get up to the checkpoint and defend them."

"Mordin's back? Good. We'll need him." She said as she popped out of cover and snapped off a quick shot.

"That turret is going to be a problem." Garrus said.

Andrea grabbed her assault rifle and her SMG, laying fire down on the turret before it could even react. Under that much firepower, the shields fell quickly, but when it started to fire back, the Spartan slipped back into cover and grabbed a grenade.

"Fire in the hole!" She tossed the grenade right next to the turret and waited for the explosion.

The turret, and the engineer trying to repair it, were torn apart in the explosion.

"Nice work." Shepard told her.

"Not done yet." She grabbed her sniper rifle and shot twice, killing two more troops.

Liara finished the last one off with her biotics and they hustled to the checkpoint.

"Mordin was right. Cerberus must have been tipped off." Garrus said. "They got here too fast."

"Every war has its traitors." Liara added.

"Just too bad this one does. You'd think the end of all sentient life would bring us all together." Andrea said.

"Everyone's out for themselves, now. I think the Council proved that." Garrus said.

"Yeah. Looks like we have some work to do on the _Normandy_."

"How so?" Shepard asked.

"Someone there tipped Cerberus off. I'm gonna find out who. These troops knew too much. They even knew we were coming. It had to be someone on the ship. No one else would have known."

"We don't know for sure yet."

"Who else could it be, Commander? Cerberus doesn't play well with non-humans."

"Point taken. Now let's go."

A Varren leaped onto a Cerberus trooper and ripped into his neck.

"Get the hell off him!" Another trooper shouted right before Garrus shot him dead.

"We've got hostiles! Engage!"

Andrea and Shepard went up top to take out the two troopers there while Liara and Garrus took care of the rest. Andrea slammed the butt of her assault rifle into the head of the Centurion and threw him to the ground below while Shepard stabbed the lone trooper with his omni-blade.

"_Hurry, Shepard! Cerberus closing in!_" Mordin commed as they headed for the door.

"Locked. Stand back." Andrea said.

"What are you-?"

She ran at the door and slammed her shoulder into it at top speed, bending the door inward and allowing the team in.

"_Cerberus outside pod, Shepard. Need assistance_." Mordin commed.

"Take them out! Get them away from the female!" Shepard said.

Andre vaulted the crate she was taking cover behind and kicked a Cerberus Centurion in the helmet, shattering the visor and allowing her to drive her knife into his face. A shot from behind took out another trooper, and a biotic combination from Liara and Andrea killed off the last two troopers.

"_Shepard. Suspect Cerberus has cut power. Must restore power before you can clear us through. Should be a conduit nearby._"

"We're on it."

The conduit was found and the power restored. Andrea grabbed a pistol lying on the ground nearby and stashed it for later.

"_Power now online._" The computer nearby said as the lights flickered back on.

"_Excellent! Can clear us. Wait! Another Cerberus squad!_"

As the Cerberus troops descended on the checkpoint, Andrea was already taking pot shots at them with her sniper rifle.

"This seems too easy." Garrus said as he shot a trooper dead.

"Way too easy." The Spartan added.

"Don't say that." Liara told them. "Cerberus might send something tougher."

"We've found the Krogan!" A Centurion announced as his squad stormed in.

"Take 'em down!" Andrea told them.

The Centurion fell over without his head as two sniper bullets hit him at the same time.

The other Cerberus troops scattered and returned fire. A grenade from Andrea left two dead and one seriously wounded, and Shepard and Liara shot the last one dead as Andrea executed the wounded trooper.

"That's the last of them." Garrus said.

"Then let's get the hell out of here." Shepard said as they ran towards the landing pad.

"We're almost back up top!" Liara said a few minutes later.

"Then let's haul ass and get up there faster!" Andrea said as she scaled the ladder up to the landing area.

The pad was swarming with Cerberus troops.

"_Shepard, they found us! Need assistance!_" Mordin commed.

"Just hang in there!"

Andrea stabbed one trooper in the head as another bashed her in the back with his rifle. She immediately turned and snapped a punch into his helmet, shattering the visor and his skull. She shoved the body to the ground and shot another trooper dead with her pistol as more swarmed in. Shepard and Garrus took out two with their sniper rifles, and Liara warped another with her biotics. Andrea bashed the last two trooper's heads together and tossed the bodies to the ground.

"_Appears safe. Need final approval now, Shepard. Pod then transfers to loading area._"

"Let's get you out of there."

Shepard started the loading sequence as the rest of the team stood nervously behind him.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Andrea said.

"_Shepard! Head's up! You've got incoming!_" Wrex told them.

Out of nowhere, a Cerberus mech slammed down to their left.

"Oh, shit." Andrea said as she slid to cover.

The mech was of simple design, but boasted huge firepower. The cannon on its right arm could knock out any shields in a matter of seconds. So Andrea came up with a plan.

"Cover me. I'm going in." She said.

"No, wait!" Shepard shouted as she took off.

She grabbed her energy sword from her belt and flicked her wrist to activate it. As the twin plasma blades sprang to life, the mech recovered from the fall and brought the giant gun to bear on her. Just before it fired, she sprang to the side, rolling out of harm's way as the ground beside her exploded. She vaulted the crate she had slid behind and jumped up onto the mech's side. She stabbed the sword into the cockpit as bullets rained down around her and with a punch, shattered the glass and grabbed the pilot by the helmet. She dragged him out and slit his throat with her knife, climbing into the cockpit as she threw the body to the ground.

"_Could have told us what you were doing._" Shepard commed.

"Too late now."

She took control of the mech and turned its awesome firepower against the rest of the troopers.

"_Not bad, Andrea. I think it's safe now. I'm coming in._" Wrex said.

The shuttle landed soon after and the containment shield was lowered. Wrex climbed out of the shuttle, shotgun in hand and ready.

"You had me worried there for a minute." The Krogan said as he walked over.

"Let's make this quick."

Mordin held out his hand to the female, a gesture that Wrex didn't take kindly to. He pushed the Salarian to the side and offered the female his own hand.

"Let's get you out of here."

The female merely stepped out of the pod and walked right on by.

"There they are!"

A Cerberus team descended on the squad, and Wrex readied his shotgun, only to have it taken by the female. She held it one-handed and shot both troopers dead. She gave Wrex back his shotgun and walked by.

"Damn." Andrea whistled.

"I can handle myself, Wrex." The female said.

"Women." Wrex snorted.

The Krogan both walked to the shuttle, while a groan from one of the Cerberus troopers drew the other's attention. Shepard and Andrea walked over, guns in hands.

"We…" The trooper groaned.

"Start talking. Why is Cerberus here?" Andrea said.

"We…"

The trooper died on the spot, causing the Spartan to curse and walk away, with Shepard not far behind.

"_Commanders, I'm hearing chatter you're brokering a treaty between the Krogan and the Turians?_" Hackett asked when they reported in.

"If we get Krogan boots on Palaven, the Turians promise us their support." Shepard explained.

"_And how did Cerberus get involved?_"

"Someone on the ship tipped them off. But why, we're not sure. Maybe simple xenophobia. Maybe they're a Cerberus spy. Either way, I'll find them." Andrea said.

"The Illusive Man is up to something." Shepard added.

"_Keep them at bay. I can't overstate what a victory this treaty would be for the Alliance. We'll need all the help we can get._"

"How's the Prothean device coming?" Andrea asked.

"_Alliance R&D has officially begun construction. The team has dubbed it Project Crucible. We're throwing everybody who knows how to hold a hammer at it. This is going to be the most ambitious undertaking in human history._"

"Will we get it done?"

"_I'm not saying it won't be a challenge, but our researchers tell me the designs are… elegant. Massive in scope, but strangely simple as well. We can do this. You can. Never doubt that._"

"No sir." They said in unison as they saluted.

The admiral saluted back. "_Good. Hackett out._"

The link cut and the Commanders left for the war room.

"I'm going to see about that loose-tongue on the ship. I'll catch you later." Andrea said as she walked off.

She returned to the cargo bay and let Cortana roam the systems while she did some digging on the ship.

"Liara. I need a hand here." She commed.

"_What is it?_"

"I need access to the security measures I'm sure you have on the ship. Every comm and messaging system aboard, I need tapped. We have a spy on this ship, and I'm going to find them."

"_It'll take some time to do that._"

"Then I hope you work fast. For all of our sakes."

**So, a recap: Wrex is back, and ready to kick ass and save his people. Normandy got female Krogan from Sur'Kesh, killed a bunch of Cerberus assholes in the process, and discovered a possible spy on the ship. Now, we all know that Liara is the Shadow Broker, so she and our favorite Spartan are going to find this spy and "deal" with him.**

**Ciao!**

**-AG.**


End file.
